WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND, JUNE 1, 2001: Protesting the use of Maori words and Polynesian culture in a new computer game, three New Zealand Maori tribes are considering taking legal action against Danish toy company Lego. New Zealand barrister, Solomon Maui, has asked Lego to suspend sales of the game, saying it infringed the Polynesian people's intellectual property rights to their language and culture. The game, Bionicle, features characters with common Polynesian names fighting for the liberation of a tropical island called Mata Nui. According to Maui, the game's story line bears a strong resemblance to traditional stories told by Polynesian people of Rapa Nui, or Easter Island. A Lego spokesman denied interfering with the cultural heritage of Polynesian people and said the company would not be withdrawing the game. The use of Maori cultural symbols is increasingly being challenged internationally and in New Zealand. In 1993, the Maori tribes issued the Mataatua Declaration, designed to protect the intellectual and cultural property rights of indigenous peoples.

KATHMANDU, NEPAL, June 4, 2001: King Dipendra died early Monday of a wound received in the massacre after being in a coma all weekend. Officials clamped a curfew on Kathmandu to quell growing rage over what many in Nepal saw as a failure to explain the massacre that claimed most of the royal family. Pressure grew on authorities Monday to provide a credible explanation of the massacre. The new king Gyanendra, who missed the fatal Friday night dinner at which his brother King Birendra and six other royals were shot to death, has pledged a full investigation into the palace bloodbath and to announce the findings. This report from Reuters says that Nepalese are asking questions such as: Where were the palace guards who would have heard the sounds of the firing? How had he managed to kill so many people without being stopped? And why was only his immediate family slain when the room was reported to be full of servants? And how, when the rampage was over, was he able to walk unhindered to the temple? The Asian Age and other newspapers said there were reports Dipendra had bullet wounds in the back.

KATHMANDU, NEPAL, June 01, 2001: King Birendra of Nepal was cremated here along with his wife, Queen Aishwarya, and six other members of his family about 20 hours after they were all shot and killed by Birendra's eldest son crown prince Dipendra at the Royal Palace on Friday night. In a bizarre - -but perfectly constitutional -- twist to the tragedy, the Raj Parishad Sthayi Samithi, or Privy Council -- a statutory, widely representative body created in 1990 and comprising the prime minister, leader of opposition and all parties -- declared the crown prince the king of Nepal even as he lies in deep coma. The council also announced that since Dipendra was ill, Birendra's brother, Gyanendra, would serve as regent. Tension between Dipendra and his parents had been building for several months over their opposition to his romantic attachment to Devyani, the daughter of Pashupati Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, a palace loyalist. Rana is married to Usha Raje Scindia of the Gwalior royal family. It is not clear why Aishwarya opposed Devyani. Following a family squabble, the prince shot his family with an M-16 rifle -- by some accounts, at least 19 people. In New Delhi, speculation is rife the Queen was interested in Dipendra marrying a girl from her sister's family.

NEW YORK, U.S.A., June 2, 2001: A web site run by militant Hindus in Queens and Long Island was recently shut down by its service provider because of complaints that it advocated hatred and violence toward Muslims. But a few days later, the site was back on the Internet. The unlikely rescuers were some radical Jews in Brooklyn who are under investigation for possible ties to anti-Arab terrorist organizations in Israel. The unusual alliance brings together two extreme religious philosophies from different parts of the world, states this report. Living elbow-to-elbow in the ethnic mix of New York, the small groups of Hindus and Jews have discovered friendship. "We are fighting the same war," said Rohit Vyasmaan, who helps run the Hindu Web site, HinduUnity.org, from his home in Flushing, Queens. "Whether you call them Palestinians, Afghans or Pakistanis, the root of the problem for Hindus and Jews is Islam."

NEW DELHI, INDIA, June 2, 2001: A range of tobacco-based products has made India the "number one oral-cancer country," according to the Indian Society of Tobacco and Health. They also contributed to around 4.5 million cardio-vascular-disease cases and 3.9 million chronic obstructive pulmonary-disease cases. Of the range of cheap tobacco-based products on sale across India "gutkha" is probably the fastest growing. Gutkha, which is put in the mouth, is a sweetened mix of tobacco, betel and catechu with lime, menthol, sandal oil and some amount of spice and unspecified flavoring. It is consumed mostly by the middle and lower-middle class, including women and children who circumvent taboos against smoking by chewing the product. While gutkha has been around for a long time, it has been repackaged to appeal to children over the last three to four years. Users as young as 12 in India have been diagnosed with precancerous lesions. A National Institute of Occupational Health report on chemical analysis of paan masala -- which is a close relative of gutkha showed the presence of harmful substances such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and nitrosamines, toxic metals such as lead, cadmium and nickel and residues of pesticides. Last year, the Maharashtra state government was forced to ban its sale within 100 meters of schools, colleges and government offices in Bombay, after researchers noted a dramatic rise in consumption by children.

KAUAI, HAWAII, June 4, 2001: Kalyani Giri, correspondent for Hinduism Today magazine, is preparing a story on HPI. If you would like to help her with comments, observations or suggestions for improvement on the service, please email her at "source."

KATHMANDU, NEPAL, June 4, 2001: The assassination of the royal family members in Nepal is taking a strange turn as the Nepalese government issues a statement that the tragedy occurred when an automatic rifle went off "accidentally," according to this report, which is fairly comprehensive. Other news reports suggest that the government is in a very difficult position because they are compelled by law to declare Prince Dipendra, who is believed to have shot his family, the king, as long as he is alive. But having declared the comatose Dipendra king, they can't then accuse him of murder because it is not allowed to level any accusations or criticisms against the king in Nepal. Several reports suggest the country may become increasingly destabilized. One report said, "For months, tension over the proposed marriage had simmered between Dipendra, a stocky, belligerent young man, and his mother, a forceful character. The queen, 51, wished her eldest son to marry someone else, according to local diplomats, and the issue had come to a head. Other sources reported that the 55-year-old king, who has scrupulously maintained balanced relationships with Nepal's neighbors, China and India, had warned his son that he would be passed over in the succession."

PARIS, FRANCE, June 1, 2001: French Christians are bracing for problems resulting from the passage this week of a controversial new law aimed at controlling the activities of dangerous religious sects, but also likely to affect ordinary churches. Some churches were already considering removing the word "evangelical" from their names, the president of the French Protestant Federation (FPF), the Rev. Jean-Arnold de Clermont said. Opponents include human rights groups and mainstream Protestant and Catholic leaders. The law's sponsors argued that it would give the courts powers to clamp down on sects that use methods like brainwashing or drugs to attract young people. The law also makes provision for a new offense of "mental manipulation," punishable by a fine of up to $75,000 and five years' imprisonment. But exactly what is defined as a sect or cult is unclear. Organizations whose names appeared on the list ranged from unorthodox groups like the Raelians, to large sects like Scientologists, the Unification Church and Jehovah's Witnesses, to evangelical and Pentecostal-type churches.

KAUAI, HAWAII, May 20, 2001: Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami embarks August 10 on a two-week travel-study pilgrimage through Northern Europe and Russia with 70 devotees and monks. Along the way, Subramuniyaswami will be attending major functions of the Hindu community in London; Hamm, Germany; Oslo, Norway; Stockholm, Sweden; and Copenhagen, Denmark. The chariot festival at Hamm is expected to attract 20,000 Hindus from all over Germany and neighboring countries. It is the U Thant Peace Awardee's first visit to Europe in six years. The "2001 European Innersearch" is conducted during a 12-day, five-star cruise aboard Holland America's MS Amsterdam, which serves as a temporary floating ashram for classes, meditations, personal study and time for deep inner reflection upon the part of each pilgrim. Every port will bring the opportunity for this international group of pilgrims to meet the local Hindus and visit their temples. The journey is a very special event for those of the Sri Lanka Tamil community now scattered across the nations of Europe by incessant warfare from their tropical island home. Subramuniyaswami is the successor to the great guru of Jaffna, Sri Lanka, Siva Yogaswami, and as such has continued to guide and counsel the Tamil community throughout the difficult years since the 1983 ethnic outbreak in Sri Lanka. The cruise departs Harwick, England, on August 10th, then proceeds to Norway, Sweden, Germany, Denmark, Finland, Russia, Estonia, ending in Copenhagen on August 22. For over four decades the 75-year-old Subramuniyaswami, affectionately known as Gurudeva, has taught Hinduism to Hindus and seekers from all faiths. He is satguru of Kauai Aadheenam, a 51-acre temple-monastery complex on Hawaii's Garden Island of Kauai where 30 monks from five nations live a traditional Hindu lifestyle. His organization nurtures membership and local missions on five continents and serves, personally and through books, courses and an extensive website, the community of Hindus of all sects. Gurudeva is the recognized hereditary guru of 2.5 million Sri Lankan Hindus. Hinduism Today (of which HPI is a service) is the influential, award-winning, international bimonthly magazine founded by Gurudeva in 1979. Gurudeva is author of more than 30 books unfolding unique and practical insights on Hindu metaphysics, mysticism and yoga. In 1986, New Delhi's World Religious Parliament named Gurudeva one of five modern-day Jagadacharyas, world teachers, for his international efforts in promoting a Hindu renaissance. The Global Forum of Spiritual and Parliamentary Leaders for Human Survival chose Subramuniyaswami as a Hindu representative at its unique conferences. At Chicago's historic centenary Parliament of the World's Religions in September, 1993, Subramuniyaswami was elected one of three presidents to represent Hinduism at the prestigious Presidents' Assembly, a core group of 25 men and women voicing the needs of world faiths. In August, 2000, while attending the Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders held at the United Nations, Subramuniyaswami received the U Thant Peace Award for his contributions to global peace.

KATHMANDU, NEPAL, June 3, 2001: Dozens of stories are now appearing in the world press on the assassination of the Nepalese royal family. This New York Times report is one of the more complete. The king, queen and royal family were cremated yesterday. The report reads in part, "The bizarre massacre of most of Nepal's royal family was followed today by the bizarre ascension to the throne of Crown Prince Dipendra, a love- struck young man who, by most accounts, murdered his parents and at least seven other relatives during the family's Friday night meal. Dipendra's suitability to be sovereign is cast in doubt not only by the murderous acts attributed to him but also by the fact that he has fallen into a coma, kept alive by life-support machines. He attempted suicide, shooting himself through the head, soon after committing multiple homicide, authorities here say." The report explains that the dead king's brother, Gnanendra, is serving as regent and expected to be proclaimed king once Dipendra is taken off life support. The report goes on, "By most accounts, the royal family had sat down for its traditional Friday dinner in a banquet hall in the palace. A few dozen people were at the table, including the king and queen and their three adult children. Crown Prince Dipendra, 29, had been upset by his parents' -- and particularly his mother's -- disapproval of his choice for a bride, though the young woman came from one of the nation's leading families. That evening, Dipendra had been drinking, according to several accounts, and he left the table in a fit of anger only to return with at least one -- perhaps two -- semiautomatic weapons. 'Dipendra sprayed the room with bullets, and then he went out and got dressed in military fatigues before coming back to finish up,' said Mr. Dixit, a palace spokesperson. 'He was a gun lover, a hunter and a shooter. He was someone who even tested weapons for the Royal Nepali Army.' According to other accounts, the prince had changed into the military clothing before he fired any shots. Either way, he had locked the doors to the dining hall, the accounts say. No guards or aides were inside at the time. In one account, the prince, upon returning to the hall, carried a handgun. He then moved among the wounded, firing single shots into their heads. Finally, guards entered the hall. In one version, Dipendra attempted suicide, firing a single shot through his temple. In a second version, he briefly escaped to another room before attempting to take his own life." The report describes the cremations: "The king's body, held aloft by bare-chested brahmin priests, was covered to the neck with a saffron cloth. Behind him came the queen -- inside an ornate, covered palanquin -- followed by his Prince Narajin, Princess Shruti and Princess Jayanti Shah. The bodies were taken to the cremation site on the banks of the Bagmati River, near the important Hindu temple of Lord Pashupatinath. Mourners laid flowers on the covered bodies. Priests chanted the final prayers. One of them, with a torch in hand, ceremonially circled the king's body three times. Then he set the flame to the king's pyre."

CALIFORNIA, U.S. May 29, 2001: All across the United States from coast to coast and from North to South, the story is the same, the Asian Immigrant population has doubled in America since 1990. The following data from the U.S. Census Bureau was released this week and focused specifically on the Asian population in various states. Leading the way, the state of California boasts the highest population of Asian Indians with 314,819. Following in the next four places for Asian Indians to live in are the states of New York, New Jersey, Texas, and Illinois. States such as Wyoming, Montana, and Hawaii have attracted the least amount of East Indian Asian immigrants. Of the total Asian group nationwide, East Indians now predominate in 19 U.S. states and with this increase Indians are now looking for representation in the political arena. Still trailing the Chinese (2,432,585) and the Filipinos (1,850,314) across the land with a total population of 1,678,765, Indians were the fastest growing immigrant population in the last ten years.

TORMVILLE, NEW YORK, MAY 30, 2001: Buddhist meditative practices have begun to take root inside the nation's prison system. Some organizations, beginning with Zen Mountain Monastery, have moved to help. Deep inside the Green Haven Correctional Facility, a maximum-security prison that houses 2,000 men, the Lotus Flower Sangha meets weekly. The group gathers with a monk, who arrives from Zen Mountain Monastery in Mount Tremper, to lead them in zazen, a sitting meditation. As many as 5,000 prisoners, seeking information about Zen, have contacted the monastery, established in 1980. Zen Mountain has established a computer database with the names of 1,000 male and female inmates, linking each to a volunteer committed to at least three years of corresponding about Zen practices, answering questions, offering advice and lending encouragement. They have also begun developing training manuals for inmates who want to develop meditative practice on their own.

CALIFORNIA, June 3, 2001: Hindus might want to check out "source" for a Yahoo page dedicated to questions about Hinduism. The site is needing "experts" to provide answers to questions such as, "Why Hindu religion only exist in India? Like Islam and Christians are all over the globe?"

HPI, June 3, 2001: The Tamil Eisteddfod in Laudium, Johannesburg, was conducted in the Tamil language, not in the Afrikaans language as some readers thought. Our report only intended to identify the single word "eisteddfod" as Afrikaans for "festival," and not to indicate the entire event was in Afrikaans

KATMANDU, NEPAL, June 1, 2001: Nepal's crown prince opened fire in the royal palace of this tiny Himalayan nation on Friday, killing the king, queen, his brother and sister before turning the gun on himself, a senior military official said. Four others died in the shooting, which apparently stemmed from a dispute over his choice of a bride. The official said Crown Prince Dipendra, 30, killed his parents, King Birendra and Queen Aiswarya, his younger brother, Prince Nirajan, and his sister, Princess Shruti. The princess is married and has two daughters. According to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the shooting was prompted by a dispute over the crown prince's marriage because his mother, the queen, reportedly objected to his choice of a bride. No other details were immediately available. The crown prince, educated at Britain's Eton College, was heir to the throne. A helicopter was sent to Chitwan, 75 miles southwest of Katmandu, to pick up Prince Gyanendra, the King's younger brother, according to sources at the airport. Prince Gyanendra, who is next in line to the throne, was expected to succeed King Birendra. The government was expected to make a formal announcement only after the king's brother replaces him. Katmandu, the capital of 1.5 million, woke up Saturday to news of the shootings. Hundreds of people began walking toward the royal palace in the heart of the city. Police cordoned off the outer periphery of the building.